Discover the Various Natural Exercises for TMJ

We know
that the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder arise
out of eroded bone structure of the joint, displaced
cartilage that serves as the cushion for the joint,
inflammation in the surrounding muscles and stress
caused to nerves that serve them. But researchers have
found that as much as 90% of the pain and related
tribulations are caused by the aggravated muscles. Apart
from heavy doses of pain killers that create many
harmful side effects, there is practically no medication
to solve this problem which affects millions of
Americans every day. There are of course those people
who try mouthguards and splints and even surgery. While
surgery should never be attempted without consulting a
physician, every other conventional as well as over the
counter TMJ relief seems to fail in offering a permanent
remedy.

However,
natural exercises through Yogic Asanas
prove helpful in many cases and so some of the most
effective Asanas are
described below for the benefit of the reader.
Therapeutic Yoga, incidentally, is a system of self
treatment that has immense curative value without any
side effects and so can be practiced by
anyone.

Exercises
To Relieve TMJ Pain – Yogic
Asanas

Sit on the
carpet in Sukhasana by
following the steps given below.

Stretch
your legs in front of you and then fold your right leg
at the knee while simultaneously placing it under the
left thigh.

Now,
fold your left leg and place it under the right thigh,
making sure that both the legs are fully folded and
resting firmly under the opposite
thighs.

Note:
Since for the beginners it may be difficult to achieve
this posture, they may first practice folding the legs
as much as possible till eventually these can be made
to rest under opposite
thighs.

Now that
the body is attuned for Asanas, come out
of the Sukhasana and
prepare for Gomukha Asana,
which, as a solo asana has tremendous corrective effect
on all major and minor joints in the body, including the
temporomandibular joint.

Here Are
The Various Steps To Fight The TMJ Disorder With
Yoga

Step
1

Sit on the
carpet and get into a kneeling position by transferring
the bodyweight on both the knees which should be kept
apart by around 4 to 6 inches. Allow the ankles and the
toes of both legs to rest on the carpet in such a way
that the toes remain close to each other but the heels
look upward and spread out. This will create an
arch-like curve made by the combined formation of the
toes, soles and heels of both legs. Now, lower the body
on this curvature till you sit comfortably on that
hollow. Keep both the palms on the thighs with spine
erect and eyes looking ahead.

Step
2

Bring the
right hand unhurriedly to the back. Fold it at the elbow
while slowly raising the back of the palm up towards the
neck. Let the fingers face upward. This posture will
allow the back of the palm to be pressed against the
spine. Thereafter, raise your left arm over your
shoulder and across the back to meet the left hand
already positioned there. Now, allow the fingers of the
left hand to touch those of the right hand, which may
pose a problem for the beginner. However, after several
practices, this will become easier when fingers of both
hands can form a lock.

Step
3

Following
the finger lock, try to raise the elbow of the left hand
straight upward while keeping the spine straight and
erect, eyes looking in the front. Breathe normally and
stay in this posture for 6 to 8 seconds or as long as
you can without undue stress.

Step
4

After
remaining in this posture for the scheduled period,
gradually loosen the grip between the fingers and unlock
the hold. Then bring both hands back to normal position
and take rest for ten minutes.

Step
4

Resume the
asana in the same way save and except by changing the
hand, i.e. use the left hand to touch the spine while
the right hand will go over the shoulder whose fingers
will lock with those of the right.

Apart from
activation of the muscles surrounding the joints in the
body, Gomukha Asana is believed to restore the synovial
fluid that lubricates the joints, thereby improving
their functions.

Permanent
TMJ Cure

TMJ
exercises are good because they can remove many of the
symptoms of the disease. But the sad reality is, the
root causes of the disease remains within the body
because the exercises cannot obviously address that
problem. For this you need holistic remedies that can
find out all the contributing factors and then remove
these root causes. Once the causes go away, the symptoms
are not there as well, and the problem does not return
again.